Peter Crouch shares only worry about ex-teammate Xabi Alonso becoming Reds boss
Peter Crouch admits his only fear about seeing Liverpool pursue Xabi Alonso as manager is that "it is very early days" in his career.
The Bayer Leverkusen manager has excelled this year and looks poised to end Bayern Munich's decade-long dominance of the Bundesliga. His team are ten points clear and still undefeated in the league with those exploits gathering attention from around Europe.
Alonso has only been in the job since October 2022 but has had an instant impact and is now tipped to leave Leverkusen come the summer. Liverpool, the club he played at for five years, are among those seeking a new boss as they eye a replacement for Jurgen Klopp.
The Spaniard is the overwhelming favourite to succeed Klopp but Crouch, who was once Alonso's team-mate, is slightly concerned that the young manager's opportunity could come too early - with his lack of experience cited as an issue.
The former Reds striker said on TNT Sports: "I think he’s the standout candidate. He’s done incredible things at Leverkusen, knows the club [Liverpool] inside out. I’ve played with him, I know the person. He’s a fantastic person, very studious, was always asking questions and you knew he was going to be a manager. But it is very early days and it’s a massive club and you’ve got to follow Jurgen Klopp. Only time will tell."
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Alonso's playing days saw him work under a number of the iconic managers, which has aided him. The midfielder played under Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti before taking on his first coaching assignment back at Real Sociedad, where he began his career.
Liverpool are not the only club looking to land Alonso with Bayern confirming that Thomas Tuchel will leave when the season ends, leaving them on the look out for a replacement.
Jurgen Klopp is departing Liverpool this summer (Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images)Sky in Germany reports that initial talks have been held between the Bavarians and Alonso with the response a positive one. It has been reported previously that Leverkusen wouldn't stand in their managers way if he ever wanted to return to one of his former clubs as a manager.
Alonso was quizzed on his next move earlier this season: “I am not in that moment to think about the next step. I’m in a great place, I’m enjoying it and I think it’s the right place. That’s all I can say. What’s going to happen in the future I don’t know and I don’t really care at the moment.”
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